Why Do ~You~ Still Play CDs?

I've had records the longest and prefer them to any other format if they are available. Disconnected my CD player about 10-12 years ago, but some really good cds are either not available on vinyl or are ridiculously expensive because they are out of print. Since my goal is to play every album I own twice a year, I recently bought a new Rotel basic CD player for peanuts which sounds surprisingly good for some CDs. Bringing my top CDs I can't get on vinyl back into the mix for my home system enabled me to bring my total number closer to my goal of 500 records in one fell swoop (I listen about 15-20 hours a week so do the math).

I think that generalizing that one format sounds better than another is for people who just like to argue. It depends on the equipment expenditure and the specific recording and format. I just will not look at a screen to relax and enjoy music at home so streaming is out. I do have Sirius XM in one of my cars and discover some new things occasionally which I buy, but only on vinyl if available.

I have gotten several CDs for free from concerts where they throw in a CD if you buy a ticket....The Who, Steely Dan, and Neil Young come to mind. I don't buy new CDs and am pretty selective about what new vinyl I buy since I am up to around 450 in my rotating albums. There are a small handful of records I don't play, and some CDs only get played in a car or in the garage when I am washing a car. When I get to 500 in my rotation, I guess that group will get larger. 

I try to make as few decisions as possible overall, so a standard rotation is my preference. Do I ever deviate? Occasionally though usually only for Miles or Steely Dan or a request by a visitor. Streaming leads to way too many decisions and missing too many things you like. Plus you own nothing and pay yet another annoying monthly fee. Only reason I have Sirius is because my wife likes Howard Stern. And you know the saying....happy wife happy life. 

I buy vinyl predominantly but the reality is that not all music is streamed or on vinyl (thinking about Roy Harper’s Green Man comes to mind).  I buy CDs if it is my only choice or if part of box sets because I want the included artwork or dialog about the artist.  But the reality of these CD purchases is that I upload them to Apple Music (a great benefit about Apple Music) in lossless format because I want the convenience of streaming and also in case the world falls apart so I can have a physical copy.

1. I still own lots of CDs. 
2. I enjoy the tactile pleasure of fussing with physical media. I also enjoy reading the insert material and looking at the album art. LPs are even better for this! 
3. I’m finally at the stage of life where I can afford a nice CD player with an excellent DAC. (Luxman D-03X).                                   
4. I also enjoy sitting down and listening to entire CDs/LPs.

I’m new to streaming and generally use it for auditioning albums before buying them or “whole house” background music. I do appreciate the idea of having a large music library stored in a small space.

To pi$$ off the streaming crowd.

It’s very simple.  CDs are digital music without compression or expansion.  Any music from a streaming system or download is always compressed.  

Have 5000 and enjoy their sound thru my 3 CD players and attached systems. I listen to streaming in my office where there is no space fir a cdp. It's OK to ne but not great. It's  best for music discovery and background music. I have a Marantz nd8006 streamed in another system but it's unwieldy and I don't think it sounds great. I am still looking a a replacement for it and will try something soon. So CD s seem to deliver for me. I also still buy cds new and used when I find something where I like the music and it is well recorded. Lots of my favorite music is nit found online too as it's very regional in derivation or in niche categories.